‘Kingmaker’ leaves door open
PRELIMINARY agreement was reached last night on forming a fourparty coalition government — but pivotal Democrat Party (DP) leader Serdar Denktaş has also left the door open for his MPs to help the National Unity Party (UBP) form a three-party coalition.
Speaking after a meeting between the Republican Turkish Party (CTP), People’s Party (HP) and Social Democratic Party (TDP), Mr Denktaş, whose party is seen as the “kingmaker” because it is needed in both three- or four-party coalition models, told journalists: “I can say
we have reached a conclusion [to form a four-way coalition].”
He said the agreement would now be taken to the assemblies of each party for approval, warning: “If any assembly refuses the agreement . . . we will not re-negotiate.”
He added that he had been “under serious pressure from my party base, my work colleagues, social media and telephone messages so that DP does not form a four-party coalition”.
Mr Denktaş and Rebirth Party (YDP) leader Erhan Arıklı had earlier yesterday been visited by Prime Minister and UBP chief Huseyin Özgürgün for talks on a possible three-party coalition.
Asked about those talks, which had prompted Mr Özgürgün to declare there was “light at the end of the tunnel”, the DP leader said: “Let us see how UBP will make its proposals more concrete during the weekend. The agreement of both [models] will be taken to the party assembly for a final decision on Monday evening.”
Commenting on the meeting with Mr Özgürgün, he said: “We have made contact with UBP. We are forced to evaluate the views of UBP that have been put forward. I thank UBP and its delegation for their visit. The delegations will perhaps meet again [today]. On Monday, our party political general assembly will reach a conclusion . . . We have two options to form a government. I must take them to our party assembly.”
Mr Özgürgün, who as the largest party in Parliament had been given the mandate to form a government by President Mustafa Akıncı on Wednesday, said yesterday: “We will make an evaluation during the weekend and continue talks until the DP assembly meeting. Had I not seen light at the end of the tunnel, I would have returned the mandate to the President. That light exists.”
Two coalition options emerged after January 7’s general election left the ruling UBP without enough seats to rule alone and CTP, HP and TDP all ruled out going into a partnership with them over allegations of misconduct and corruption.
UBP has 21 MPs and a link-up with DP’s three MPs and YDP’s two would yield a wafer-thin majority of 26 in the 50-seat Assembly.
A four-way coalition would have 27 MPs: 12 from CTP, nine from HP and three each from DP and TDP.